Royalton Antigua Resort & Spa

First rate resort. On leaving we had a couple of hours to wait for our taxi, so the four of us spent the time trying to find fault with this resort and couldn’t. Although two very minor things did come to mind, the salt in the restaurants was always damp, I’m sure someone will come up with a cure for this one day. It appears to be a problem with most resorts in sunny climates. Also we did spot a tile missing from the floor of the swim-up pool. All the staff are first class as well as the resort itself, we would definitely recommend this resort to anyone and would return ourselves. Read less

We travelled with our 16 month old son the week of January 8 and were pleasantly surprised with our vacation in Antigua. Both my husband and I were apprehensive after reading the reviews, however we had an amazing time with no concerns during our stay. We are not diamond members which did not make a difference in the service we received. Our concierge (Rohan) regularly checked in with us to ensure we were enjoying our stay and addressed any needs. On arrival, he noted that I was still giving formula to our son so had ample bottled water delivered to our room (much appreciated). We did have an issue with our sliding closet door. However, by the time we returned back to our room from dinner, the door had been replaced and issue resolved. We had dinner at all the restaurants and enjoyed our meals. The service was great and food arrived in a timely manner. We did tend to go to dinner early as we had a little one...so didn’t experience excessive wait times. Nor did we need to make dinner reservations. However, it did look busy during prime dinner hours (like you would expect back home). There was always the option of the buffet on days when we spent a little extra time at the beach (with no wait time). The buffet had ample selections of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Loved the food...but not the additional lbs I gained from the delicious desserts. We found that the wait staff were attentive, polite and always interacted with the us. We had a garden room and did not have issues with barking dogs keeping us up?? Our son took daily afternoon naps...without issues of excessive noise. Our room was spacious and cleaned daily (ie. floors were washed daily). The beach is absolutely beautiful with no accumulation of seaweed. The clear blue water is calm (even with the wind) as the resort is situated on a cove. So our little one was able to walk along the shore with us. We took a hike up to Fort Barrington to take in the beautiful views. It’s was a bit too steep and windy for the little one so we each took turns to do the 15 minute hike up. Definitely recommended. I managed to take in a TRX class and really enjoyed it. The gym is clean and well equipped. They had a posted schedule of daily classes...which I had never experienced at any previous resort. Great instructors who were motivating during your workout. Our son had his first haircut at the spa as the salt beach water was bothering his eyes. The staff was sooo pleasant. I can’t recall the stylist’s name...however she did such a great job. She was so patient and kind to our son. I thought we would just get his bangs cut, however she managed to get a thorough cut in. Love the haircut... We had a wonderful stay and would definitely recommend this family resort. We had previously stayed at another Royalton and based on our experience in Antigua will continue to choose the Royalton in the future. Read less

Visited for 10 nights 13th January The Good bits – The Rooms – these are modern and well appointed – mini bar stocked with beer and soft drinks daily plus two packets of chips which was a nice touch – room was well maintained by housekeeping.. The dreadful bits - The Buffet - the Breakfast is about the best meal on offer in this resort – usual offerrings, cereal, fruit, eggs etc. let down by the fact that unless its cooked infront of you its consistently ‘luke’ warm – same at lunch (how difficult is it to keep soup hot – it was always cold)…The fresh fish station was nice but incredibly small portions offered.. everything else is cold and very unappetising – salad swimming in water desserts bland you could have pinapple crumble with no custard or icecream on offer… nice NOT.. Caribbean Restaurant – the service here is slightly better but still manage to serve ‘luke’ warm food – tepid soup is not nice…had to return meals twice due to the temperature… who wants to eat cold fries.. also some of the portions are very small… Italian – same old complaints – ‘luke warm’ food – stodgy pasta in congealed sauce… menu is somewhat limited after you have visited twice because you can’t stand the buffett it all gets very boring very quickly. Hunters – this was the most disorganised of the lot – we saw meals backing up on the pass that staff were not aware of hence stone cold on delivery – cold mashed potato was disgusting and was promptly returned on two occasions. Coffee Shop – this is a nice area and you get a good Latte – sandwiches and cakes are all very very tasteless – does this chef taste his wares.. (I think not).. Pool BBQ – this was horrendous – if you eat the chicken then you are risking salmonella – the chicken was bought chilled and pre-cooked then reheated on the BBQ.. !! same with the hot dogs.. – other offerrings on this station were as you would expect by now ‘stone’ cold… the server couldn’t have cared less.. POOL Area/ Beach – the beach is lovely but the architect who designed the resort thought it would be good to locate two ‘massage’ huts right in front of the infinity pool.. completely blocking the view of the ocean.. Diamond Club Pool Area – expected this to be a nice queit relaxing area with waiter service – WRONG… waiting for a drinks waiter is like waiting for paint to dry – when then did come they bought drinks that were so watered down we returned them immediately – the non Diamond club area was loud music and foam parties – not for me thanks very much… definitely not ‘luxury’ far from it.. Diamond Club – in my opinion unless you are a big ‘branded’ drink lover this is a complete waste of money.. the lounge is a nice retreat from the loud music in the main bar but it is usually full of ‘Butler’s with nothing to do and people who are not ‘diamond’ coming in and getting drinks as they fancied – it was not monitored… The snacks on offer eat at your peril – they are put out early and are in an exposed environment under a heat lamp and left for hours on end… Entertainment – did not see anyone from the team the whole 10 days – the main area where the entertainment is held is so loud you can’t hear yourself think… this hotel desperately needs another bar for people who want something a little less in your face.. also it’s a very long walk from the AlaCarte restaurants to the bar… This hotel is definitely NOT 5* and never will be in my opinion – if you want to drink cheap booze, eat mediocre food and enjoy ‘foam’ parties then you will have a great time… definitely not for me I wouldn’t touch Royalton with a barge pole – just sad I spent so much money on such a disappointment… Read less

Royalton Is located on a beautiful bay near the historic fort. We stayed in a Chairman overwater bungalow with spectacular views, new and modern. Our Royalton ambassador Deandre ( friendly, enthusiastic) greeted us, presented our welcome drinks and walked us through the grounds towards the Diamond club lounge for check in, explaining the different areas and services as we went. We met our butler William ( charming, professional ), finished check in and were escorted to the bungalow. William showed us the many features of our unit in unhurried detailed, took dinner reservations for the evening, inquired as to special events we would be celebrating and then let us explore and enjoy the overwater bungalow with private pool/jacuzzi. Nicely stocked minibar and kitchen, large bedroom with unobstructed views of thee pool and bay and a very large bathroom with tub, dual sinks and walk in closet and LARGE shower. Deandre arrived some time later to present us with a coupon booklet for services and shopping, went over a couple of informational pamphlets on sights, Island history and culture on Antigua and to cover a brief history of the Royalton brand should we wish to sit down to a presentation and hear more about buying into the Royalton Brand. Staff have all been great and I would recommend a stay here in an overwater bungalow without reserve. Read less